{The 3 Mrs Review} The Unexpected Wife by @JessMichaelsBks

The Unexpected Wife by Jess Michaels
Published by The Passionate Pen on March 9, 2021
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Historical, Regency, General
Pages: 240
Source: Netgalley
Buy on Amazon, Amazon Australia, Available with KU Subscription, Kobo, iBooks
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The first in a new series by 10 time USA Today Bestselling Author Jess Michaels
Although Celeste Montgomery was forced into a marriage a year ago, her husband is more often gone than home and she is living a quiet life. Until investigator Owen Gregory shows up at her home to tell her some outrageous news: Her husband has been murdered…and he was also a bigamist, making her the third of three wives.
Owen Gregory was hired to investigate Celeste’s husband, but he never thought it would lead him here, to this beautiful woman whose life he just shattered. Once he determines she couldn’t be the murderer, he asks her to join him in London, in the hopes she can help him solve the crime.
Now they must navigate two other wives, a broken-hearted brother and a duke who keeps poking his nose in as they work to determine who killed Erasmus Montgomery. Not to mention the intense feelings and passionate desires growing between them. But will secrets long held endanger them in ways they never imagined? And will they find a way to save each other before it’s too late?
Heat Level: Very. Just very, very, very.
This is the first book in The Three Mrs series.

I received The Unexpected Wife for free. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Celeste Montgomery never wanted to get married. When she finds out her husband is dead on top of the fact that he has two other wives, she is shocked but not grief-stricken. Owen Gregory started investigating Mr. Montgomery shortly before his murder, but he is retained to find the killer. He travels to Celeste’s home to inform her and asks her to return to London with him to help until the case is resolved. With horrible parents, no friends in town, and behind on the rent of her shabby house, she has no problem leaving her home behind. Once the pair reach London, Michaels digs in and gives us a realistic story under the bizarre circumstances.

One thing I loved from the onset of this story was the strained relationship between the three wives. It was strained not because of jealousy, but more to do with trust issues. Celeste (3rd wife) and Pippa (2nd wife) are both welcomed into Abigail’s (1st wife) home. While the three are wary of each other, it has nothing to do with their feelings for Ras (the husband). Abigail and Pippa both have secrets they don’t want to share with Celeste, but for vastly different reasons. They might shock you. I never saw them coming which made the revelations that much sweeter.

Moving on to Owen and Celeste. From the first moment they meet, the spark is instant. Something incredibly surprising for Celeste. She never enjoyed the few sojourns to her husband’s bed and never expected the attraction to the man hunting for the bigamist’s murderer. Yet, it all seemed very natural to me. From the beginning, the two know they shouldn’t be pursuing anything due to the whole dead bigamist situation, but spending time together to explore things outside of the case pulls them even closer.

While this is a wild storyline twists in ways I never imagined, the ending has me craving more of these characters. Issues are solved but not everything is resolved for the three Mrs. Montgomerys. There are two more books coming in this series and I see more excitement up ahead.